A better future
…if you start from the philosophical premise that the past has nothing to teach you and the present is just the poisoned fruit of the past, you’re not destined to recreate something better. You’re virtually guaranteed to recreate something worse
Jonah Goldberg
Some day
…making ourselves imperious so that there will never be a doubt in anyone’s mind who is the god of the day, the messiah of the moment, the king of the mountain, the goddess of heaven, the person in charge, the abbot, the boss, the president, the power. But down deep, that may be the most powerless position of all. If we refuse to ask for help, if we distance ourselves from the strengths of others, if we cling to the myths of authority and power where trust is needed, we leave out a piece of life. We condemn ourselves to ultimate failure because someday, somewhere, we will meet up with the thing we cannot do and our whole public self will depend on our being able to do it.
From “Scarred by trouble, Transformed by hope.”
The Crowd
The passions of crowds often seem to empower a group to do something that a single individual would never dare or even wish. There is an anonymity that comes about in which personhood begins to be obscured and lost. It is a dangerous episode in the life of any nation, regardless of the cause.
Fr Stephen Freeman
Courage
Courage is not nearly so rare a quality as we sometimes like to think it is. We forgive ourselves the responsibility to muster it on the grounds that it is the unwonted virtue of unusual people in momentous circumstances. The truth is that courage is what carries simple people through an average day. It is not an action; it is an attitude. It is the spiritual strength that gives direction in the midst of confusion. It is no more uncommon than fear. It is, in fact, the child of fear.
Joan Chisttister
Common Ground
The first and most basic area of common ground is that we are all made in the image of God. Without agreement on this most basic assertion there can be no agreement on anything else. …The denial of that fundamental equality, in thought or practice, is not simply a denial of the stated laws of most modern nation states, it is a denial of God’s work in creation and of Christ’s Incarnation.
Phoenix Preacher
Speak to be heard
“you must speak (or write) in a way that people can hear you.” If you simply write to offend, no one will listen other than people who already agree with you. It seems that many don’t care anymore if anyone can hear them or not, they just love the sound of their own voices and the offense they create…
Phoenix Preacher
Listening
Younger people realize you haven’t been listening. It’s not the position people hold that is offensive. It is the fact you don’t value people and their view point enough to be able to articulate it to other people. You aren’t capable of the hard work of listening, the reason is you’re not humble.
We are led by people who have always been in power. When you are in power you don’t have to listen, people do what you want.
Josh Graves
Internet
The internet is a biopsy of the human soul. A context where what is inside of us is pulled out of us and is made public, revealing any malignancy within us.
Erwin McManus
Preaching the Gospel
Preaching the the Gospel does not begin with being verbal. You can not talk people into love, surrender, love of truth. We must be verbalizing experience and experience that doesn’t ring true won’t go far.
Richard Rohr
The Mind of Christ
To get the mind of Christ we must practice, practice, practice.
Landon Saunders
Free Advice
So much to think about.
